As a Marvel fan I've been through all this before. The general feeling is going to be screaming and crying that the sky is falling. People are going to cry doom, say that they are going to make Star Wars kiddy movies. They're going to claim they will interfere and muck up the lore. Claims will abound that nothing dark will be allowed anymore. People will panic and say that the EU is going to die. The general idea will be that Disney is going to get elbow deep into the company and mess with everything.

That's what people freaked out about when this exact thing happened to Marvel. People were convinced, projects would be cancelled, movies would be dumbed down and kiddy-fied. No matter how much people pointed out that Disney has a great reputation with these things, and that Pixar is an example of a Disney subsidary that is pretty much autonomous, people still cried doom.

The same will happen here. No matter how much people point out the enormous success the Marvel acquisition turned out to be, all people will think of when they heard Disney is things like princesses, cartoons, and kid's movies.

By that I mean the general public of course. The people in the comments on news sites and related videos on youtube, etc. In communities like this, we will of course have voices of reason saying to wait and see. We'll have people open to ideas other than kneejerk reactions. But just don't feel discouraged by the general reaction: it will be negative.

Fortunately, public opinion doesn't much matter. All the negativity isn't going to have any effect on what will happen. What we can look at is history. This is pretty much exactly what happened with Marvel, right on down to the price.

People were worried that since comics aren't very profitable (if at all) they would be gutted by Disney. This is similar to the ideas of the EU being ruined. Truth was, Disney didn't touch the comics, and the comics are probably better off than they were before the acquisition.

People were concerned that Marvel stories would be robbed of anything deep, gritty, or dark. Truth is, there have been a steady stream of new Marvel MAX titles which are for adults only, and the mainstream comics have continued the trend of deeper characters, more involved story lines, and darker themes.

People were concerned that Disney would produce an onslaught of terrible films. Truth is, while taste in film is subjective, Marvel's film library has thrived under Disney. The movies are enormously successful and well received. This comes from a previous history of Marvel films not being very good.

People were concerned Marvel would lose touch with it's fans. Marvel has grown closer to it's previous fanbase, and generated thousands of new fans.

History indicates this could be a very good thing. But that's not a guarantee either.

Disney buying a company isn't Disney expressing interest in running a company. Disney operates as an investor. They buy companies with a strong portfolio and invest in them continuing to deliver. Disney buys companies because they like what they are doing, and are confident that they can do more and rake in profit with Disney money.

So what does this all really mean? It means that Disney isn't what matters here. It's LucasFilm that matters. This means that LucasFilm will continue to do what LucasFilm does. The big question mark here is what LucasFilm will do with the Disney money, and what kind of impact the internal restructuring with Kathleen Kennedy being in charge.

I hope the writers are Star Wars fanatics like Kevin Smith, Topher Grace and Simon Pegg, who all seem to know Star Wars better than the maker.

Any one but, Simon Pegg, such a prequel hater should never have been on TCW! If he directs a movie, oh, he's soo dead! Did you hear what he said, Any one but, Simon Pegg, such a prequel hater should never have been on TCW! If he directs a movie, oh, he's soo dead! Did you hear what he said, Any one but, Simon Pegg, such a prequel hater should neverhave been on TCW! If he directs a movie, oh, he's soo dead! Did you hear what he said, apparently it's cool to like star wars again! apperantly it's cool to like star wars again! apparently it's cool to like star wars again!

I hope the writers are Star Wars fanatics like Kevin Smith, Topher Grace and Simon Pegg, who all seem to know Star Wars better than the maker.

Any one but, Simon Pegg, such a prequel hater should never have been on TCW! If he directs a movie, oh, he's soo dead! Did you hear what he said, Any one but, Simon Pegg, such a prequel hater should never have been on TCW! If he directs a movie, oh, he's soo dead! Did you hear what he said, Any one but, Simon Pegg, such a prequel hater should neverhave been on TCW! If he directs a movie, oh, he's soo dead! Did you hear what he said, apparently it's cool to like star wars again! apperantly it's cool to like star wars again! apparently it's cool to like star wars again!

As a Marvel fan I've been through all this before. The general feeling is going to be screaming and crying that the sky is falling. People are going to cry doom, say that they are going to make Star Wars kiddy movies. They're going to claim they will interfere and muck up the lore. Claims will abound that nothing dark will be allowed anymore. People will panic and say that the EU is going to die. The general idea will be that Disney is going to get elbow deep into the company and mess with everything.

That's what people freaked out about when this exact thing happened to Marvel. People were convinced, projects would be cancelled, movies would be dumbed down and kiddy-fied. No matter how much people pointed out that Disney has a great reputation with these things, and that Pixar is an example of a Disney subsidary that is pretty much autonomous, people still cried doom.

The same will happen here. No matter how much people point out the enormous success the Marvel acquisition turned out to be, all people will think of when they heard Disney is things like princesses, cartoons, and kid's movies.

By that I mean the general public of course. The people in the comments on news sites and related videos on youtube, etc. In communities like this, we will of course have voices of reason saying to wait and see. We'll have people open to ideas other than kneejerk reactions. But just don't feel discouraged by the general reaction: it will be negative.

Fortunately, public opinion doesn't much matter. All the negativity isn't going to have any effect on what will happen. What we can look at is history. This is pretty much exactly what happened with Marvel, right on down to the price.

People were worried that since comics aren't very profitable (if at all) they would be gutted by Disney. This is similar to the ideas of the EU being ruined. Truth was, Disney didn't touch the comics, and the comics are probably better off than they were before the acquisition.

People were concerned that Marvel stories would be robbed of anything deep, gritty, or dark. Truth is, there have been a steady stream of new Marvel MAX titles which are for adults only, and the mainstream comics have continued the trend of deeper characters, more involved story lines, and darker themes.

People were concerned that Disney would produce an onslaught of terrible films. Truth is, while taste in film is subjective, Marvel's film library has thrived under Disney. The movies are enormously successful and well received. This comes from a previous history of Marvel films not being very good.

People were concerned Marvel would lose touch with it's fans. Marvel has grown closer to it's previous fanbase, and generated thousands of new fans.

History indicates this could be a very good thing. But that's not a guarantee either.

Disney buying a company isn't Disney expressing interest in running a company. Disney operates as an investor. They buy companies with a strong portfolio and invest in them continuing to deliver. Disney buys companies because they like what they are doing, and are confident that they can do more and rake in profit with Disney money.

So what does this all really mean? It means that Disney isn't what matters here. It's LucasFilm that matters. This means that LucasFilm will continue to do what LucasFilm does. The big question mark here is what LucasFilm will do with the Disney money, and what kind of impact the internal restructuring with Kathleen Kennedy being in charge.

After thinking it through, this could actually be really good news for all Star Wars fans. Getting the franchise out of Lucas's hands opens up to endless possibilities. We can get movies and tv shows (and games? Please give us a "mass effect" in the Star Wars universe) from any era, no longer limited to the Skywalker saga, with no chance of something being turned down by Lucas because it doesn't fit HIS vision. Let's be honest, his vision was never good. The only reasons the first 3 (some would say 2) movies are good are that he worked under severe limitations and wasn't surrounded by yes men.
I'm a little worried that some of the old crew are still in charge, and that they'll rely heavily on feedback from Lucas.
Looking at recent Marvel movies, we have a lot of reasons to be happy about this. A movie very two or three years can be a good thing, as long is it doesn't turn into one every year.

It could go either way, but I'm cautiously optimistic.
If Lucas had announced that he was making a 7th movie, I would have been extremely pessimistic.

Oh, I'll be in line, too. But three years early (assuming it arrives on time), my expectations are about as low as they can be, whereas with the prequels, they were sky high.

Going in with low expectations is a good thing, right? We might be surprised.

Man, I'm still torn. I never thought he would do this -- not ever. It's just weird, but I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later. I guess the future is here, now, and this was always meant to happen.

I just want to pop in here and say that I'm very excited for this news. Maybe I'm biased for being such a HUGE Disney fan, but I have high hopes that Disney will handle this with care. Lucasfilm and Disney have had a very long partnership dating back to 1987 and in that timeframe, they have made some very memorable and quality attractions for the Disney theme parks. There have been rumors flying around for awhile on the Disney side of things concerning an expansion that will include a Star Wars themed land in one of their parks. I'm assuming this is part of that coming to fruition.

As for the news of more Star Wars movies - I say bring it on! I'm very much looking forward to this and very optimistic about the entire process.

I'm concerned about what this means for sites like theforce.net and well, everything fan-related. Let's not forget Disney's vigilance at making day care centers remove paintings of Mickey Mouse. Will Celebrations continue, and if they do, will they only be at a Disney park?
I just hope this could lead to an DVD-quality original classic trilogy set, and that the Clone Wars is left alone. Disney's handling could be light while Lucasfilm continues doing what they do, while focusing on marketing and film production.
It says a lot about the fan base if many want Joss Whedon to direct a STAR WARS movie. It reminded me how every time another sci-fi/fantasy movie came out last decade, people wanted that person to direct a Prequel. Peter Jackson, the Wachowski brothers, Sam Raimi Most likely it would be none of the people in the poll, and someone more of a director-for-hire, or not as "hot" but in that same Spielberg/Kennedy/Lucas "family" like Joe Johnston...unless Spielberg just really wants to do it like he did in the early '80s. (Or Dave Filoni if it will be animated Clone Wars style.)
I'm not ready to spend time anticipating and reading about another STAR WARS movie.
Ah whatever. I've been typing about this for about an hour or so elsewhere so I'm sure everyone else probably said everything about this.

So, an Episode VII in 2015, to be followed by VIII and IX (featuring the futher adventures of Luke and the original heroes - with the original actors?), which will in turn be followed by even more (one-off?) films in the future - check.

Lucas has handed off his story ideas for the sequel(s) and will continue on as a consultant - check.

Disney says they are excited about adding live action SW to their collection of television properties - check.

I was disheartened when I heard that George had allowed a minority group of vocal critics to scare him off from the idea of exploring any further SW films, but it now seems as though this wasn't the case. It is sad to think LucasFilm is no longer an independent, but here George has signed-off on a very lucrative deal which will ensure the long-term survival of the franchise. I am having mixed emotions to be sure, but call me crazy - part of those emotions include a very real excitment for the possibilities of the future!

You're assuming they are going to be made under the Disney label and not under Paramount like the Marvel movies are (Marvel is owned by Disney).

FYI The Avengers is the first Marvel film to financed, distributed, and marketed by Disney. (Yes, the Paramount logo is there, but they're only credited in name only. They had nothing to do with the film).
If Disney handles SW like they did with the Avengers, I'd say it's in good hands.

You're assuming they are going to be made under the Disney label and not under Paramount like the Marvel movies are (Marvel is owned by Disney).

FYI The Avengers is the first Marvel film to financed, distributed, and marketed by Disney. (Yes, the Paramount logo is there, but they're only credited in name only. They had nothing to do with the film).
If Disney handles SW like they did with the Avengers, I'd say it's in good hands.

Either way I stand by my point, Disney have shown that they could be capable of handling this.

It's still a scary time to be a Star Wars fan as this move could make or kill the franchise. It's even scarier that the working title for the new movie is "Episode 7" which brings up all kinds of nightmare scenarios. But I don't view this with outright negativity. If these films are spin offs instead of direct sequels then this could even be the best thing to happen to the franchise since Empire Strikes Back.

So, an Episode VII in 2015, to be followed by VIII and IX (featuring the futher adventures of Luke and the original heroes - with the original actors?), which will in turn be followed by even more (one-off?) films in the future - check.

Lucas has handed off his story ideas for the sequel(s) and will continue on as a consultant - check.

Disney says they are excited about adding live action SW to their collection of television properties - check.

I was disheartened when I heard that George had allowed a minority group of vocal critics to scare him off from the idea of exploring any further SW films, but it now seems as though this wasn't the case. It is sad to think LucasFilm is no longer an independent, but here George has signed-off on a very lucrative deal which will ensure the long-term survival of the franchise. I am having mixed emotions to be sure, but call me crazy - part of those emotions include a very real excitment for the possibilities of the future!

This news is big enough for me to post for the first time in several years. A few thoughts:

This should NOT turn into a James Bond thing where it is planned for a movie to be released every two to three years. That works for Bond but I don't think it's right for SW.

I'm not a prequel hater but I am able to see some of the points the prequel haters had and I do think any new SW movies need to avoid the prequel trap.

I think Disney will do fine with it but it remains a wait-and-see.

Yes, GL should remain involved, just the right amount and no more.

I want these to be STAR WARS movies, not generic science fiction movies with a thin veneer of Star Wars-ness slapped on to them

Please no cruddy aliens like Xizor with the "power to attract females" with his scent. In real Star Wars movies we are not told what any character's power is, especially so that we will inevitably see them use that power later

People still like Star Wars and I see it repeatedly across all demographics; the craze is not dying down; people at my work are very geared up to be in Star Wars costumes for Halloween tomorrow and all types of co-workers have been very excited to play with lightsabers over the past few days; about a year ago I was walking into a Target and a little African-American girl with her feet hanging out of the cart her mother was pushing saw the SW Blu-Rays on a checkout stand and shouted, "Look, Mom! Star Wars!!" I thought, "I'm pretty sure that kid must've been born after ROTS came out. Most movies don't have that type of hold on the populace.

Oh, and rather silly for people to think that the next one is going to be called nothing but "Star Wars Episode 7." That's obviously something they are only using loosely now until its proper non-numbered subtitle gets applied.